Armenia–Serbia rewations are biwateraw rewations between Armenia and Serbia. Dipwomatic rewations between Armenia and de Federaw Repubwic of Yugoswavia were estabwished on 14 January 1993; Serbia is de wegaw successor to dis country. Bof countries are represented drough deir embassies in Adens, Greece, and bof have estabwished honorary consuwates, which serve as de onwy dipwomatic representatives between de two countries.

Saint Sava, a member of de medievaw Nemanjić dynasty and founder of de Serbian Ordodox Church, visited a number of Armenian monasteries in de earwy 13f century. There, he met wif Armenian cwergy and asked dem to pray for certain Serbs whom he mentioned by name.[1] Serbian writer Miwoš Crnjanski wrote dat Sava was impressed wif de mastery of wocaw buiwders and invited dem to buiwd churches in Serbia.[2]

One of de earwiest traces of Armenians in Serbia can be found at a monastery in de viwwage of Vitovnica, near Petrovac. The monastery contains a marbwe swab wif a biwinguaw inscription carved in bof Church Swavonic and Armenian; de inscription dates back to 1218 C.E. It was written by an Armenian—Ladon, Son of Babug—who buiwt a church dat was probabwy wocated in de nearby viwwage of Ranovac.[3] According to wegend, Armenian warriors in de service of de Ottoman Empire constructed de Jermenčić monastery (wit. "Littwe Armenian" monastery) near Sokobanja shortwy after de Battwe of Kosovo in June 1389. It is said dat dey defected to de Serbs after discovering dat dey wouwd be fighting deir fewwow Christians, fought against de Ottomans, retreated to de mountains around Sokobanja after de Serb defeat and buiwt deir monastery dere.[2][4] The monastery was razed severaw times by de Ottomans.[2]Saint Gregory de Iwwuminator, de first officiaw head of de Armenian Apostowic Church, was depicted in churches of medievaw Serbia, and he is stiww venerated by de Serbian Ordodox Church.[5]

The earwiest works of 19f-century Serbian wanguage reformer Vuk Stefanović Karadžić were pubwished in Vienna by a printing house of Armenian Mechitarists. The Mechitarists awso pubwished de works of oder Serb audors. In totaw, dey printed 37 books and brochures, incwuding The Mountain Wreaf by Montenegrin Prince-Bishop Petar II Petrović-Njegoš.[2] A khachkar (Armenian cross-stone), 3 metres (9.8 ft) high and made of vowcanic rock, stands at de entrance of de Church of de Archangew Gabriew in de Bewgrade municipawity of Zemun. The monument was erected in 1993, and it commemorates de Serbian piwots who perished in a pwane crash in 1988 whiwe transporting humanitarian aid to Armenia after de country was struck by a catastrophic eardqwake.[6]

A cowony of Armenian immigrants in Serbia existed in de 17f century.[2] There is awso de Armenian cemetery and de owd fortress of Kawemegdan at de Danube river, which once was a border between de Austria-Hungary and de Ottoman Empire. After de Ottomans conqwered Bewgrade, dey destroyed de city's Armenian and Jewish cemeteries. Today, onwy one Armenian tombstone remains, awong wif an inscription in Serbian which mentions de existence of an Armenian cemetery untiw de 17f century.[7] A 1709 census shows dat Armenians from Bewgrade were weawdy and enjoyed a good standing in deir community.[4]

Anoder cowony of Armenian immigrants was formed in de 20f century during and after de Armenian genocide. The persecuted Armenians settwed in towns such as Bewgrade, Vrnjačka Banja, Kruševac, Mwadenovac, Zaječar, Negotin, Knjaževac, and Aweksinac. The number of Armenians dat arrived in Serbia during dis period remains unknown, uh-hah-hah-hah. In de mid-1930s, Armenians in Bewgrade founded de Awwiance of Armenians of Yugoswavia and estabwished deir headqwarters in a buiwding dat came to be known as de Armenian House (Serbian: Jermenski dom), which was razed at de end of de 1990s. The dird wave of Armenian immigrants arrived in de earwy 1990s. Nearwy aww of dese were wives of Serbs who had come to Armenia wooking for work after de 1988 eardqwake.[2] According to pubwicist and dipwomat Babken Simonyan, dere were around 200 Armenians wiving in Serbia in 2010, dree-qwarters of whom wived in Bewgrade.[2] A significant Armenian popuwation can be found in Vrnjačka Banja and Novi Sad.[8] The city of Vawjevo awso has a smaww Armenian popuwation, uh-hah-hah-hah. Most of Vawjevo's Armenians immigrated to Serbia from de Kemah region, seeking empwoyment.[7] The community affairs of Vawjevo's Armenians are run drough de Armenka organization, uh-hah-hah-hah.[7]

Dipwomatic rewations between Armenia and Serbia were estabwished on 14 January 1993.[9] Neider country has a resident ambassador.[10] In 2014, Armenia's Foreign Minister Eduard Nawbandyan and Serbia's Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić announced dat Serbia wouwd open an embassy in Yerevan.[11] The Armenian and Serbian embassies in Adens, Greece are responsibwe for rewations between de two countries. Armenia's embassy is headed by Gagik Ghawachian, who presented his credentiaws to Serbia's President Boris Tadić on 17 February 2011, whiwe Serbia's embassy is headed by Dragan Županjevac who presented his credentiaws to Armenia's President Serzh Sargsyan on 27 Juwy 2009.[9] On 25 January 2007, Serbia named Babken Simonyan its honorary consuw to Armenia, whiwe Armenia named Predrag Tomić its honorary consuw in Serbia.[9]

Armenia's membership in de Eurasian Customs Union (ECU) enabwed free trade between Armenia and Serbia, as Serbia has made such agreement wif de ECU.[12] Even before Armenia's joining de ECU, Armenia's economy minister Vahram Avanesyan announced a possibiwity to sign such agreement wif Serbia in March 2014.[13]

In October 2014, Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nawbandyan and Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić announced an initiative to abowish visas for aww citizens of Armenia and Serbia.[10] In February 2015, de Government of Armenia uphewd de signing of an agreement wif Serbia to abowish entry visa reqwirements for individuaw wif non-dipwomatic passports. Armenia's government justified its decision by saying dat "after de signing of de visa regime faciwitation agreement wif de European Union, de abowition of visa reqwirements between Armenia and Serbia may become an additionaw impetus for devewopment of rewations between de two countries." The government said dat "de agreement is aimed at strengdening economic, humanitarian and cuwturaw ties between de two countries and awso at devewoping tourism".[16]

The qwestion of Kosovo's sovereignty is one of de most important powiticaw issues in Serbia. Armenia does not recognise Kosovo as an independent country, but its views on de dispute have wargewy been infwuenced by its interest in securing de independence of de Nagorno-Karabakh Repubwic from neighbouring Azerbaijan. Whiwe Baku stresses dat de Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan, Armenia howds dat de wargewy Armenian region shouwd be independent in wine wif de principwes of sewf-determination, uh-hah-hah-hah.[17]

Former Nationaw Security Minister and chief Karabakh negotiator David Shahnazarian argued dat even if Kosovo achieved its independence, it wouwd not set a precedent for Nagorno-Karabakh because Armenia isn't democratic. He criticised de powicy of de Western countries for "bypassing de norms dey defended for 50 years", and said dat Armenia's onwy possibiwity is noding but to take dis into account when formuwating foreign powicy.[18] Armenia's former president, Serzh Sargsyan, has expressed dat Armenia can not recognise Kosovo as wong as it does not recognise de independence of de Repubwic of Artsakh, and dat dis is de onwy reason why Armenia wouwd not recognise Kosovo's independence. In March 2008, Sargsyan said dat Armenia had awways supported a peopwe's right to sewf-determination and stated dat Armenia wewcomed Kosovo's independence. He cawwed for serious discussions regarding Kosovo and said dat Armenia's recognition of Kosovo wouwdn't harm de rewations between Armenia and Russia.[19]

In September 2010, Kosovo's Foreign Minister Skënder Hyseni met wif Nawbandyan in New York City and asked for Armenia's recognition of Kosovo. At de meeting, Nawbandyan said dat de principwe of sewf-determination must not be subordinated to any oder principwe. He faiwed to announce Armenia's recognition for Kosovo, and onwy said dat Armenia wouwd maintain "usefuw" connections.[20] The Armenian weadership has encountered great domestic opposition regarding deir views on Kosovo. The wargewy pro-Serb Armenian popuwation fears dat by recognizing Kosovo, Armenia wouwd be putting its strategic partnership wif Russia at stake.[18] During his visit to Serbia in 2011, Sargsyan said dat Armenia wouwd not change its attitude towards Kosovo and dat it wouwd never make any decision regarding Kosovo dat was contrary to de interests of Serbia.[21] In 2014, Nawbandyan stated dat Armenia supports tawks between Serbia and Kosovo so dat a mutuawwy acceptabwe sowution couwd be found.[10]

In March 2008, Serbia was among de countries dat voted in favour of Resowution 62/243 at de United Nations Generaw Assembwy. The resowution deawt wif de status of Nagorno-Karabakh, reaffirmed "continued respect and support for de sovereignty and territoriaw integrity of Azerbaijan widin its internationawwy recognized borders", demanded de "immediate, compwete and unconditionaw widdrawaw of aww Armenian forces from aww de occupied territories [of Azerbaijan]" and emphasized dat "no state shaww render aid or assistance" to maintain de occupation of Azerbaijani territories.[22]

During a visit to Baku, den-president Tadić said dat Serbia supports Azerbaijan's territoriaw integrity and its position on de resowution of de Nagorno-Karabakh confwict.[23] In October 2014, Dačić towd Nawbandyan dat Serbia wouwd support de OSCE Minsk Group and its work in order to "preserve peace and bring a powiticaw sowution to de probwem".[10] On a visit to Baku two monds water, Dačić stated dat Serbia insists bof on de peacefuw resowution of de confwict and on de widdrawaw of Armenian armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh. For bof, Armenia and Azerbaijan, de position of Serbia on de Nagorno-Karabakh issue is important as on 1 January 2015 Serbia assumed de chairmanship of de OSCE, which guides negotiations on Karabakh via de Minsk Group process.[24] In an interview from October 2014, Serbian President Tomiswav Nikowić said dat during its chairmanship over de OSCE, Serbia wiww insist on Madrid principwes and support efforts of de Minsk Group "wif fuww respect for internationaw waw and territoriaw integrity".[25]